NEW MUSIC
NOW HEAR THIS | Gerod Bass
BETHEL MUSIC Simple
Most of the eleven tracks are fronted by husband and wife team , Brian and Jenn Johnson with some of the Bethel regulars like Cory Asbury , Josh Baldwin and Brandon Lake nowhere to be found .
ZACH WILLIAMS A Hundred Highways
1 . The Blood 2 . Tend 3 . Let My Life Be Worship 4 . In The Ordinary- Spontaneous 5 . Our Jesus 6 . Stand In Awe 7 . I Still Believe 8 . Jesus My King 9 . Forever Be Praised 10 . Honesty 11 . Simple
At the height of the pandemic , there was a subtle shift in the way worship albums were created . Many artists had to trade over produced stadium albums for a more intimate , almost living room style of writing and recording because of the lack of audiences and available studios . Just as the church on earth had to recreate itself and redefine what effective ministry looked like , many artists returned to their roots adapting simpler forms of song writing , chord progression , basic melody and theme and the church as a whole has benefitted from the change .
Enter Bethel Music ’ s latest release aptly titled , Simple which features songs that return the listener to the fundamentals of faith with simplified themes , chord progressions , melodies , arrangement and song structure .
One of the standout tracks contained in this collection is the sincere ballad , “ Let My Life Be Worship ”. This vertical song is led by Jenn Johnson and Michaela Gentile and serves as a powerful call to the body of Christ to live their entire lives as an act of worship in response to the freedom that we receive through the sacrifice of Jesus .
“ I Still Believe ” is a humble declaration of faith as Brian Johnson passionately declares that when we encounter trouble in this life , we can choose to praise God in the midst of it all reminding ourselves that He never leaves or stops loving us . The scaled back acoustic guitars , strings and upright piano give this song warmth and depth .
Sydney Allen ’ s sweet soprano calls the believer to go to God with every piece of our heart and truly tell Him how we feel in the sincerely delivered prayer , “ Honesty ”.
Brian and Jenn Johnson wrap up the album with the title track as we find the two of them blending melody and harmony effortlessly floating above a single piano track as they reminisce about how God has been with them as they go through tough seasons while striving to rest in the Word of God as He reveals His faithfulness .
This was a refreshing offering from Bethel and I am thankful that they took a bit of a risk in going in this direction when they could have just taken the easy way out and kept churning out songs that have put them at the top of the CCM world . Pretty much all the album tends to stick to the soft ballad-ish feel , the whole thing felt a little more vulnerable and honest and that is good enough for me to recommend it .
1 . Big Tent Revival 2 . Up There Down Here 3 . Sunday ’ s Comin ’ 4 . Heart Of God 5 . Like A Billy Graham Revival 6 . Jesus ’ Fault 7 . Praise Opens Prisons 8 . Looking For You 9 . That ’ ll Preach 10 . I Got You 11 . Love Is A Battleground 12 . Holy Rollin ’ 13 . Flesh And Bone ( We Remember ) 14 . Far Too Good To A Man Like Me 15 . Plan For Me
Two-time GRAMMY Award ® winner , multi- GMA Dove Award ® winner , Zach Williams latest release , A Hundred Highways is full of newly penned tunes that the southern rocker himself calls , “ The most ‘ Zach ’ record I have ever made ”. Featuring a whopping fifteen songs , Williams pours himself and his experiences out honestly while passionately reminding us of God ’ s mercy and promises .
This is definitely a southern fried rock album with tons of acoustic slide guitars , gritty telecaster power chords , heavy B3 organs and